rubber Archives - Page 284 of 347 - Tyrepress

Tyres can’t function without this critical raw material. Whether its natural or synthetic rubber you are interested in, articles bearing this tag feature this indispensable polymer.

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Bridgestone to Launch New Steer Tyre and Retread Range

Bridgestone UK will use the Commercial Vehicle show in April to launch a new, long-distance steer tyre, the R249, and a new range of Truck Point retread tyres.

The R249, for trucks of 16 tonnes and heavier, has been designed following a study of nearly 1,000 fleets operating in six major European markets. Reliability and mileage proved to be the main criteria for fleets, followed by traction/grip, fuel efficiency and comfort. Cost per kilometre is assuming ever-greater importance.

10th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Management Changes at Yokohama Rubber

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced changes in its line-up of directors and corporate officers. The assignments will be effective on April 1, 2006.

10th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Uncertainty at Goodyear Germany

Concern amongst Goodyear Dunlop Germany employees is growing as rumours abound about the future direction of the company. Talk of the possible consequences is said to be weighing down on employees, resulting in a difficult working atmosphere.

The word is that Goodyear is planning to change its organisational structure in Germany at some point in the near future. The reorganisation is expected to bring the legally independent Goodyear, Fulda, Dunlop, M-Plus (associated brands) and GDHS (trade) businesses together under one roof, in a similar way to Continental’s profit centre model. If and when this happens, it is not only the managing directors who stand to lose some of their influence. There are also question marks over jobs in Hanau, Fulda and Cologne. The company’s car dealership and truck tyre businesses are already run on an integrated basis.

9th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Increases Prices

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is to increase its consumer, commercial vehicle and OTR tyre prices by 4 per cent. The increases will cover all brands and were reportedly caused by escalating raw material costs. The announcement takes effect from 1 April.

8th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Fire at Cooper’s Melksham Plant

Cooper Tire & Rubber Europe suffered a minor fire over the weekend of 4 and 5 March. Five firefighters were taken to hospital as a precaution after the fire at the company’s Melksham production facility. Cooper’s Sarah McRoberts told Tyres & Accessories that the fire was successfully contained by the factory’s sprinkler system. Despite more than 35 firefighters attending there were no serious injuries and business is reported to have been unaffected. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

8th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Nizhnekamskshina Slows Production in January and February

During January and February of 2006 JSC “Nizhnekamskshina” says it produced 100,000 less tyres than planned. According to the company, the basic reason for the disruption was the high rubber price. The beginning of March has not proved to be much better for Russia’s largest domestic tyre producer. In Nizhnekamskshina’s words the situation “remains complex” due to short supplies of natural rubber.

8th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Chapman Named Director of Cooper Tire

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co has named Steven M Chapman as a director of the Company, effective immediately. Mr Chapman is the Group Vice President, Emerging Markets & Businesses for Cummins, Inc., a global leader in diesel engines and related technologies. Mr Chapman will fill the vacancy that has existed on the Board since the departure of Dennis J Gormley. He will serve Gormley’s unexpired term until 6 May, 2008.

7th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

MNA Plants Earn Spots in EPA Programme

(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America’s (MNA) Ardmore, Oklahoma, passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant and its American Synthetic Rubber Company (ASRC) in Louisville, Kentucky, qualified for participation in the EPA’s National Environmental Performance Track programme.

6th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Launches All-Season UHP Zeon

(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has introduced its new Zeon Sport A/S, a w-rated all-season UHP. Featuring “a bold tread design” and “predictable handling and control in both dry and wet road conditions,” said Cooper, the Zeon Sport A/S will be available is a range of 40- to 55-series sizes, covering 16- through 18-inch wheel diameters.

6th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Results Have Implications on Goodyear

Cooper’s recent 2005 results may have shown full-year losses, but they also show that the company’s inventories would have been $125.6 million (41 per cent) higher “had they used FIFO instead of LIFO.” The results have implications on the way other company’s results are interpreted. “As a result, we would expect a substantial earnings impact from raw material cost inflation in the quarters ahead,” Deutsche Bank analysts said referring to Goodyear.

6th March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Hits 35 Million Mark in New Zealand

(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone New Zealand is celebrating the production of the 35 millionth tire at its Christchurch, New Zealand, plant, which opened in 1947. Employing 300 people in a seven-day-a-week business, the factory contributes an estimated $23.8 million a year to Christchurch’s economy, said John Staples, the general sales manager for Bridgestone New Zealand. The plant was originally built by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. as one of eight manufacturing facilities the company then had outside of the U.S. The factory now has the capacity to produce 5,000 tires a day, and exports 40% of its output, Staples said. “Our relationship with all the communities we are part of is very important to us, and the Christchurch community in particular with the presence of our factory,” Staples said.

3rd March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Receives Fourth Consecutive Safety Award

In the US, Pirelli has received the top safety award from the Rubber Manufacturers Association for the fourth year in a row, for achieving significant improvements in worker health and safety over the past year. The Safety and Health Improvement Program (SHIP) award was presented to Pirelli at the RMA’s annual meeting.

3rd March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Matador Raises Truck Tyre Prices

Matador UK has announced a price increase averaging four per cent on its All Steel Truck Tyres, effective from 1st April 2006. The sizes affected are 17.5″, 19.5″, 20” and 22.5″.

3rd March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Posts Loss for 2005

(Akron/Tire Review) Citing a number of factors, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. posted a net loss of $9 million for 2005, down considerably from 2004’s net profit of $201 million. The loss came against full-year sales of $2.2 billion, which was up 4 per cent vs. 2004’s sales of $2.1 billion.

Cooper said the 2005 loss was due to a combination of rising raw material costs, lower unit sales, plant inefficiencies and the impact of the strike at its Texarkana, Arkansas, plant last year. Improved pricing and product mix helped boost overall sales, Cooper said.

2nd March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Report: Baled Tyres Provide Good Foundation for Civil Engineering

Baled tyres can play an important role in large civil engineering projects, research from Onyx Environmental Trust has found. The study focused on the use of bales made up of 100 tyres compressed together and tied with metal wires. Developed initially in the US as a tyre storage method, the system has now been adapted with a tyre bale for construction – the Used Rubber Recycling Operation.

1st March 2006/by Tyrepress Editors